Umbrellas and Lucky Charms
by Chooper21
Summary: One cold winter's night in France has Paris' two superheroes patrolling the streets of Paris. A couple of otherwise inconspicuous details have the pair unmasked. REVEAL FIC. This summary isn't the best, but I couldn't really think of what else to say. May become a series of reveals.
1. Umbrellas and Lucky Charms

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, if I did I would have already written 32 million reveals of LadyNoir...

* * *

The tiny droplets of water on the umbrella that was once his held an obscene amount of significance to Chat in that moment. The rain fell as softly as his Lady's landing on the rooftop, poised and elegant as always. She smiled, looking radiant as ever. If she knew about the secret she just gave away, she would not look as careless, Chat could wager.

Ladybug was unaware of the turmoil wreaking havoc in Chat's brain, smiled as she held up a black gift bag. An inquisitive eyebrow was raised on Chat's behalf and she opened the bag to reveal fur coats, handmade yet not scrappy quality. They were lined with fur and seemed to be waterproof on the outside. Near the tag on the inside of the hood, was the flourishing signature that belonged to Marinette.

He gave a sheepish smile, whispering that she need not do that for him. Then came the reminder that it wasn't her, it was Marinette. How she kept up the pretence so well was beyond him. It didn't look like it gave her the sweats, no anxiety, but it could be a brave face she was putting on. The wind blew an icy cold gust and she shivered, reaching inside the bag.

"Wait, bugaboo," he said. This time the inquisitive eyebrow was hers. He took her hand gently, prepared for her to let go, but willing her not to. When she gripped tighter, he pulled along the roof of the building headed towards their favourite spot. The tower glittered among the city towering over the other monuments. As they landed on the second stage of the tower she pulled out the pieces of fur, handing one over to Chat whilst she put her own on.

It fit so well she might as well have measured him. Apart from the fact that she didn't, which was another reason he was convinced it was Marinette behind the mask. Who else other than Ladybug would analyse Chat Noir that well, apart from Alya of course? A drop of water fell onto her nose, causing her to scrunch it up, not in disgust, just in an effort to get rid of the icy cold rain. Under the light of the tower she looked pale, prompting Adrien's next question.

"Are you feeling ok, Milady?"

"Why wouldn't I be Chat?"

"You look rather pale, or is translucent what you're going for now?" he replied, wits on edge tonight.

"Does the rain send you a little catty, Chaton?"

"Touche," he grinned.

She smiled.

Inside, however, Marinette was panicking. Chat had made it quite clear he thought that it was she who had made the coats. Though his tone was quiet, it was laced with secret knowledge which she couldn't help but feel she had given away. How, she did not know, but she would find out. A large raindrop fell onto Chat's face, within seconds a recoiling cat shook his head and scowled. A giggle left her mouth and made Chat laugh in turn. His laugh rung out like the bells of Notre Dame on a cold winter's day, bring life to the outside world. It was a laugh she was familiar with now, but for some reason today it was different. More familiar. More like home. She couldn't put her finger on it though. Racking her brains to find something, she searched desperately but all she found was memories of her most recent bouts of laughter, most of which were to do with either Chat or Adrien.

Adrien had become a close friend to Marinette in recent times after Alya and Nino brought the two friendships together forming one group. It was a solid group, a force to be reckoned with at school, even with Chloe around. Despite her being just as menacing as ever, they all managed to find a common enemy in her, well apart from Adrien. He, however, felt just as strongly about the situation, if not more, as the need to get away from her was heightened every time she called him 'Adrikins'. Incessant was what he called it, though he swore she was better as a child, Marinette doubted it.

However, she felt inclined to believe him, with the honesty that would be valued by anyone. It was something that reminded her of Chat. The equal amount of time she now spent with both of them she almost felt as if they were one in the same. In fact, she had been surprised the other night when the similarity of the two snuck into her brain in the dark hours of the night after spending the day working a new line of clothes that she had forced Adrien to help her with. Unsurprisingly he agreed. The look on his face was priceless when she told him the theme.

Tonnes of black and red fabric lay crumpled on the floor, when Adrien arrived at Marinette's house he gasped at the disaster that awaited him. It was a mess. But in the middle of it all was a small girl hunched over with a pair of scissors and skewed pieces of paper filled with designs. Looking up she grinned at the boy, gesturing to the ground next to her, perhaps the only bit of the floor that wasn't covered in anything. Adrien sat down, stealing a piece of paper from by her side, looking the designs up and down. He couldn't fault her, they were perfect. Perfect for revealing his identity, too. Horrified that she had picked this particular topic, he lay the paper back down on the ground and looked outside. Much to his dismay, the weather was worse than when he had arrived. He had planned to take her out for ice-cream if the rain had subsided. Getting down to business she held up the material against him, drawing little lines on the inside of the material.

After hours of cutting, stitching, un-picking and stitching again, she was finally satisfied with the items created. A black hoodie covered Adrien's top half, whilst his pants were slightly more outgoing. Red with black spots, they were comfy nevertheless. Two fluffy things sat on her couch, untouched pieces of cloth. He'd asked, but she'd said they were for another time. Now, in the gentle breeze, on the top of the Eiffel Tower, he was covered in the black one, that she'd obviously done in her own time, without realising that she made it for the same person who'd helped her with the rest of the line.

Chat smiled softly, remembering the furs on the couch. And she hadn't even noticed. Or perhaps he wasn't giving her enough credit. He knew she'd die trying to protect her secret, so why not his? He sat down next to her, watching every little detail. It was so simple, and he found himself wondering why he had not noticed before. His heart had grown for Marinette, finding a spot just as prominent as Ladybug's. But he had learnt that she wasn't even a chance, and it was more reasonable to find someone who he knew properly and one that he could trust. Not that he couldn't trust her. It was just... different. It was like a celebrity crush, similar to the girls around the city who idolised him. He idolised her. He adored everything about her, but he didn't know anything about her life behind the mask. Until now.

He always felt like an oddity when he was around her, yet the closer they got, the more he figured out. He liked her sense of justice, the way she stood up for what she believed in no matter what. And especially against Chloe. And now that he knew they were one and the same, he could see that in Ladybug, too. As well as their joint love and passion for design. The information he held was invaluable, and couldn't be taken lightly. If she found out he knew, she would kill him. Or worse. And he didn't want to imagine that. Yet it was only fair that he told her he knew, and at least reveal himself in exchange. He looked at her, bright blue eyes glittering like the stars above them. She was calm, still, and he had no idea how to tell her without evoking some kind of panic.

Contrary to Adrien's belief, however, Marinette was panicking already. At the start of the night, she felt ill, and wanted to stay in, but didn't bail just because she was seeing her kitty. Her best friend, partner, and her most trusted confidant. And now also her crush. She loved him, but she loved Adrien, too. And she couldn't help but feel she was toying with not only both of them but herself too. Beside her, his breathing was quiet, but she could tell he was jittery. What on earth was up with that cat?

"Bugaboo..."

"Yes, Chat," she sighed.

"Never mind..." he muttered under his breath.

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing, go back to your stargazing," he said. Instead, she looked down to where her hands were, as close to Chat's as possible without touching. She longed just to hold on to his hand, and nothing else, to just sit there, but the mangy cat wouldn't be able to stop himself from asking why. And she wasn't sure whether she wanted to answer that in all honesty. A small bracelet tied together with red string. Around it, numerous decorative beads filled it, colours of blue, green, pink, yellow, red and black featuring. Shock shot through her like a bomb. The familiarity killed her deep down. She thought Chat was cleverer than that. If anyone else had been Ladybug it would've been fine. It sunk in and she gasped. More audibly than she would've liked, too.

"Lady?"

"Chat, I, um... I..." her new loss for words was less than comforting to Chat. He sat there, assuming that she'd figured out he knew.

"Ok, calm down. I need you to listen to me before you accuse me of finding out intentionally. I only found out today," he said, in a commanding, unreasonably calm tone.

"What do you mean you only found out today?" she cried out.

"I had thought for a while, but I never investigated, because I knew you wanted to keep it a secret. And I still respect that, because I'm not going to tell anyone, cat's honour. I only really guessed when you brought my umbrella her tonight. And the furs, because I'd already seen them, and the bag in your room the other day when we worked on that -,"

"Oh Jesus Christ," she moaned, eyeing the beaded bracelet on his wrist.

"Marinette," he said tentatively, treading carefully over her name. "It wasn't your fault. I just recognised my umbrella, because it is the only one I know with that little cut in the handle. I promise I won't tell anyone, just trust me."

Inside her head, she was screaming telling herself to tell him she knew as well, but all she could croak out was, "Don't you hate me?"

"Why would I hate you?" he said gently.

"Because... I'm not anything like Ladybug," she whispered. He smiled. Not that cheeky grin that he usually does, or the flirtatious wink. A genuine Chat smile. A genuine Adrien smile.

"I can't believe you really think that, Mari," he said. "You two are exactly the same. The only difference is one of you has a mask and the other one doesn't."

"Yeah, but if I told you that you and Chat were exactly the same you wouldn't believe me either."

"Pardon?"

Silence.

"How?" he croaked.

"That bloody lucky bracelet," she said, pointing to the bracelet on his leather-clad wrist. Now there was a cheeky grin.

"Well, I like to keep it on me, what can I say?"

"I'm touched, Chat," she smiled. Looking around she asked, "Do you think anyone will see if we take our transformations off?"

He looked down, watching the slow traffic and the small blobs walking around under their umbrellas. He shook his head. "I don't think so... Are you sure you want to though?"

"I think we've both waited long enough, kitty," she said.

Releasing their transformations in unison, both unsure of what to do next. The weight off her shoulders left the freest feeling Marinette had had in a long time. Three years of keeping this secret had taken its toll, though hidden well, and she was relieved to have told just one person. Especially the one she trusted most. Compelled by impulse, Adrien took her hand, pulling her into a secure hug. He was as surprised at himself as she was, but he remained there, hanging onto her as if his life depended on it. "I promise, I will never tell anyone," he whispered in her ear.

"Me either."

"Mari?"

"Yes?"

He took a deep breath. Looking at her lips, then back up to her eyes, he gulped. "Will you go on a date with me?"

Widened eyes stared back at him. "This is not just coming from Chat Noir is it?"

"Mari, bugaboo, milady, it doesn't matter what I say it's still the same person. You're still the same person. Trust me, before tonight I thought I was digging myself a hole getting closer to you, and Ladybug at the same time, but now I think I've managed to escape it. Mari, you don't have to if you don't want to, but I will be hanging out forever waiting," he said.

"Oh you too, then?" she asked cheekily.

"Is that a yes?"

"I suppose, if I get something in return," her eyes flicked to his lips this time.

"You know that's not how we work," he grinned. Nevertheless, he said, "Can I?"

She nodded. Leaning forward, he was unsure of what to do, only led along by his sheer determination and adrenaline pumping through his shaking veins. Placing an unsteady hand on her cheek, the other one on her hip, leaning in until their lips touched slightly. His heartbeat irregular, the only two things he thought were steady right now was his intense blush and love for Marinette. The same thought ran through Marinette's head while she pretended they weren't on the Eiffel Tower in the middle of the night out of their costumes. Pulling away a similar dazed expression was on their face.

"I suppose I should escort my lady home," he said.

"Whoa, I'm not going home!"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, ok, you're late for class every other day you don't need to be late tomorrow."

"But it's only literature first," she moaned.

"Listen we're already studying Sleeping Beauty, we don't need a literal princess."

Falling silent, Marinette realised this was the beginning of a whole new chapter in their story.

* * *

A/N: Not my best work, but I really love this fandom, and my 16 year-old ass couldn't help but write a reveal. If anyone actually reads this, please tell me what you thought of it and what I could do better in the future.

Thanks, Cass


	2. Raindrops and Revelations

Chat only meant to see her once. The winter had been cold and Adrien was not at all inclined to stay in his house which he felt was even colder. The rain had been successful for days, a steady downpour on the citizens had meant that not many people left their houses, and in succession, not many akumas were active. Those that had been were defeated easily, his Lady incredibly diligent at getting rid of them. Himself playing the distraction was perhaps more problematic. This past week he only saw her on patrol where they lingered for a little after chatting, anything to prevent him from going home. She knew about the turmoil at home, she knew all about it, everything except his name and of course his father's.

So now as he perched himself on a rooftop parallel to the Dupain-Cheng bakery he wondered what made both of the girls so easy to talk to. Sitting near her little alcove he also questioned why she was outside on a night like tonight, cold, wet and not at all pleasant. His cat-like capabilities had gone above and beyond recently, and due to the recent rains, he had felt unreasonably uneasy. Before Plagg, he had loved the rain but after becoming Chat Noir, Adrien always felt a strong sense of repulsion for unaccountable reasons. It must have been his wide eyes, as a fat drop fell on his nose, that gave him away, the flash of green impossible to mistake.

Marinette had been sitting outside for more than an hour, the tiny bit of cover keeping her, and her drawings safe from the rain. Rather than the rain being humid, much as it had been the past couple of days, it was colder today, and she was regretting not bringing a coat up with her but was far to enwrapped in her work to move. She had been rather distracted these past few days, not with school, nor akumas; she had dealt with them quite deftly if she was honest, but with two equally annoying and charming green-eyed boys. As Ladybug, Chat had confessed to a terrible home life, much like her friend's in her civilian life. The more he talked the more she realised how truly horrible Chat's father was. And how he deserved so much better.

And this was how she came to the conclusion that there was only one person that could possibly be Chat Noir. Because only one other person confessed to her that much about their home life. And one person could only endure all of that, step up to the role of Chat Noir and still be the kindest person she knew. Adrien. And this was the thought that kept her up all night, every night, for the past week. Thinking about the crazy blonde hair and the beautiful green eyes. The eyes that were staring out across the rooftops at her.

There was only one person who had those eyes. And only one person who flinched at the drop of rain on their nose. Chat Noir. Come to visit her personally. Again. She was beginning to wonder if he knew. A clap of thunder right on cue and a strike of lightning close by was enough to send Chat bounding her way. The wind began to blow a gale and Chat landed on her balcony, sliding along the floor and landing smoothly next to her on the deck chair.

"Well hello, Princess," he said smoothly, pushing a few runaway strands off of his forehead.

"Good evening, Kitty," she said, aware of the pick-up in her heartbeat. Through the shade sail over their heads, a drop snuck through, landing on Chat's, no Adrien's, head, and rolling down the glorious blonde strands down onto his broad shoulders, glistening every inch it slid.

"If you call this a good evening you must be barking mad," he said.

"I like the smell of rain," she shrugged, reaching up to his hair, ruffling it. "You, however, don't appear to like it at all."

"No I don't," he replied.

"Then why on earth are you out in the rain?" she questioned.

"Honestly," he said, "I couldn't stand being in my room any longer. It's so cold in that house and I'm not talking about the temperature…"

"Oh Chat…" she whispered.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, "You're a good listener."

"Did you have another argument with your dad?" she whispered. It hadn't been the first time Chat had talked to her about this, dividing the arguments between himself and his father evenly for Marinette and Ladybug as to not overload them. Which was ironic.

He took a deep breath. Adrien never intended to keep talking to her about his problems. But she was so easy to talk to, and such a close friend that would never judge, never pushed the fact her family was perfect on him. Thus he kept returning as Chat Noir.

"He won't let me stay in Paris for the winter," he said. This wasn't news to Marinette. She knew Adrien was being made to participate in more shows abroad. And that meant no Chat Noir, either.

"Chat, have you ever thought about telling him what you want?" she asked.

"No, because I figured he would say no," he replied. It was true, Adrien had never put the foot down because he knew it wouldn't work.

"Chat, how old are you, if you don't mind my asking?"

"16… why?"

"Well you're old enough to say no, and to legally decide what you want to do," she explained. "You could even leave home if you wanted to."

"So I could go live by myself or something?" he said, perking up at her idea.

"I'm not saying go and live by yourself, Chat, I just meant maybe you could exercise your right as a human being to make decisions for yourself, you know, put the foot down a bit."

"But then he'll hate me," he mumbled. His heart wished for it to be different, for him to have a loving family, not to be a famous model, maybe to have just a little more of Marinette to himself.

"Chat, if he hates you because you deem that you need more freedom he's an idiot and you know it. I'm not sure why you think he'll hate you, but trust me Chat, if you need anyone, I'll always be here," she vowed. "I promise."

"You really are great, you know that, Mari?"

The look in his eyes was priceless. She'd only seen Chat give her that look as Ladybug previously, unless it had been there but she hadn't noticed. Her heart clenched painfully. She couldn't hide it any longer. Going through the discussion with Tikki had been tortuous, but she knew she'd have to d it eventually. Adrien being Chat was just a side detail, she thought. She'd been planning ever since the whole Audimatrix issue, and everything following that. She'd come to accept the fact that Chat would either hate her or love her, regardless it was still the thought racing through her brain.

"Thanks, Chat," she said gently. The hug he launched at her almost made her cry and she just barely kept all her thoughts in check, avoiding a slip. He mumbled something she couldn't quite make out into her hair as she began her speech. "Chat do you want to go inside where it's warmer?"

"Is that a personal invitation?" he smirked, recoiling at the relentless drip of the canopy above.

Rolling her eyes, she stated, "Yes, and a free hot chocolate out the kindness of my heart."

He perked up at this, and just as the gentleman, albeit hidden gentleman, he was, held up the skylight for her to go inside. Rolling to avoid him landing on her, she used the hot chocolate as an excuse to leave him for even a moment.

Downstairs, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief that her parents were asleep and hoped to God that Chat kept out of trouble while she figured out how to begin her speech. The smell of hot chocolate filled her nose and Tikki appeared from behind her.

"How are you going to tell him, Mari?" she asked quietly, looking up at her charge.

"Honestly Tikki, I have no idea. But I want to tell him tonight," she said. "That I'm sure of."

"And you're sure he's Adrien?" she said, eyes glinting.

"I don't care if he is or if he isn't, he has a special place in my heart and needs to know that," Marinette muttered, wiping some spilled milk off the bench.

"Maybe that's how you should start then," she said, offering Marinette a small smile, before continuing, "You know you have a special place in his heart too, right? He cares about you, you care about him it's simple. It may seem complicated at the moment, but it'll all work out fine, I promise."

"Mmmm, I'd better go up, can't keep him waiting too long can I?" she said thoughtfully.

Chat, was beginning to wonder where she was as he was busy thinking of ways to tell her. And apologise, he thought. Apologise for leading her on, apologise for coming back, for getting too attached. But even still he didn't regret it. He was close to her both as Adrien and Chat now, and letting go seemed like a bitter ending, even for him. Wishing he could talk to Plagg about this, he tugged absent-mindedly at his leather suit.

"I hope I didn't bore you," Marinette announced as she is helped through the hatch, two steaming hot chocolate carefully balanced on the stairs. Jumping up to get them, he shook his head vigorously.

"Of course not, Princess, I'm used to being immersed in my own thoughts."

She realised the undertone in his voice and was overwhelmed by the sudden urge to hold him close and never let go. Watching him place his mug on her desk, she followed suit.

"You shouldn't have to be immersed in your own thoughts, Chat," she whispered.

"Why not? Most people seem to wonder what goes on in my head," he said. He was letting down his guard again.

"I meant that you should have people you can talk to, rather than have your thoughts stuck up there, you could voice them," she said quietly.

"You don't need to worry about me Marinette," he said, dancing over her name gingerly. "I'll be ok."

The exact same thing Adrien had said to her just the other day.

"I do worry though," she whispered. "I worry because I care Chat, I want you to know that. You have a special place in my heart."

He was speechless. He knew he had people he could turn to, he knew she was amongst them, but people who had admitted they cared? Looking back there were only 3 people that had done that. Nino, Alya, and Ladybug. He looked at her. Allowing himself one small glance at her earrings his heart stopped. His ring was not the same as it was in civilian form, but it was still identifiable enough. It seemed that was just the same with the earrings.

"Mari…" his voice was quiet. His eyes made their way to her lips and his voice shook. "You… ca-can I…"

The desire to kiss her was staggering. Looking down, then back up to her eyes made it nearly impossible for him to control himself. He wasn't sad anymore. He was happy. Euphoric, even. The one person he'd wanted to trust, cared about him. His brain was screaming at him for not acting faster, but he could barely breathe just looking at her, let alone what would happen should the story in his brain come true. He wanted to tell her who he was.

"Chat," she said, voice barely reaching a whisper. He felt her breath on his cheek and wasn't surprised when their noses touched.

"Please tell me if you want me to stop," he said, voice just louder than hers, a clawed hand reaching for her waist, the other cupping her cheek. Their lips brushed and Adrien felt a hand go to his shoulder. She gripped gently, as did he, both falling into the kiss, lips moulding together perfectly. He'd been harbouring this for so long, the impulse to kiss her, and finally he felt loved. She cared about him. His Marinette. His lips were on fire, but almost as soon as the kiss had begun, it was over, delicate hands pulling him into a hug, instead of moving away. He shut his eyes, enjoying the moment while he could, because knowing his luck it would all come crashing down on him at any moment. A gentle kiss pressed to the inside of his neck almost undid him, and he was sure he was as pink as her bedroom when she finally looked at him.

Fumbling with her hands, Marinette looked pointedly at her knees while she summoned the courage to tell him the truth.

"Chat," she said finally getting her thoughts in check, "I need to tell you something."

"Ok," he said slowly, fighting back the urge to raise a hand to his blessed lips.

"Please don't hate me," she muttered. "I… I've been trying to figure out a way to do this for a while now, but I don't think this is going to be easy for either of us. I wanted to tell you because I trust you. I trust you so much, you have no idea how much I trust you and I don't think I can prove it to you any other way, I just trust you so much…"

He listened to her ramble, ready to cut her off at any point, but the opportunity never came. She was going to out herself as Ladybug. To him.

"Chat, I'm… sorry, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm sorry I didn't trust you enough in the beginning. I'm sorry I didn't trust myself. But I want you to know. I want you to know all of me."

He took her hand gently.

"You already know don't you?" she whispered. He bit his lip guiltily. She sighed.

"Please say it," he begged.

"I'm your Ladybug," she murmured. His ladybug. She was giving herself to him. If he would take her. And of course, he would.

"Can I release my transformation?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she begged quietly.

There was a flash of green light and Adrien was sitting in front of her, just as he had been the whole time, she had to remind herself, and she smiled shyly. He pulled the best smirk he could and winked at her, heart pounding.

"Hello bugaboo," he grinned.

"Hey kitty," she smiled back.

Both stared into the other's eyes, lost, happily staying that way for as long as they could. From beside him, however, Adrien's kwami had different ideas.

"So disgusting," Plagg said, distaste evident on his face. "You use my suit to go see the girl you like for weeks on end, and then you have to kiss her right in front of my face!"

"You must be Adrien's kwami," Marinette smiled. "I'm Marinette, nice to meet you!"

Instead of replying, he just zipped up to her face and said, "You are the baker's daughter. No wonder Tikki chose you."

"Plagg!" Adrien said, mentally cursing his ignorant kwami. "You're supposed to say hi, not be a disrespectful little -,"

"It's ok, he's cute," Marinette said. "And I'm sure he's hungry, does he want some cookies?"

"Do you have camembert?" Adrien asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, Tikki, show him where it is," she said.

"Yes Ma'am!" Tikki said, flying out of her hiding spot. "Hi, Adrien!"

"She knows me?" he said, pointing at himself stupidly.

"Yes, Tikki knows most of my classmates," Marinette said.

"Well I know you because she had a giant -,"

"Tikki, I don't think he needs to know that, does he?" she said, looking pointedly at her. "Besides we're getting sidetracked here."

"Getting sidetracked from what?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. "We didn't really establish a direction of conversation."

"Well…"

"Marinette, we need time for this to sink in," he said. Her shoulders sunk, but he was quick to notice this. "Hey, I don't mean this conversation is by any means over but we need time to adjust to this. It's one thing to know that the girls I have been pining over for the past few months are the same, but the person I trust more than anyone in the world is my partner in fighting crime."

All she could hear after that was the pound of her heartbeat, feeling his fingers twine gently with hers.

"Adrien, I don't… I should have told you earlier. I'm sorry I didn't. I've known for a while now, but I just couldn't think of anything to say without crying. I just didn't want you to hate me, for not telling you earlier, considering I'm the one who'd asked to keep the identities secret."

"Hey, I'm not that unreasonable of a person am I? You know I'd never hurt you like that…" he said cupping her cheeks in his hands.

"I know," she said, her voice just a whisper once more. "Would you be able to?"

"Yes," he said huskily, breath tickling her nose as he leaned in again, tasting her soft lips. There were traces of the lip balm she'd previously had on, though he suspected she'd reapply when he left. God, he didn't want to leave. He figured she'd make him leave, but there was no telling what was going on inside her frazzled brain. If she felt as alight as he did. There was a rap on her trapdoor, and they both jumped apart, breath mingling, lips tingling.

"Night Marinette," her father called, as she grinned at him lopsidedly.

"Night Papa!" she said, looking back to Adrien. "We'd better get some sleep."

He smiled a sad little grin and made to exit from her hatch. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok? And we'll talk… about this."

She bit her bottom lip and tugged at the jumper he'd put on before transforming into Chat when he left home. "Can… would you… would you like to stay?"

An inquisitive Chat face looked back at her. He whispered, "What about your parents?"

"It'll be ok, I'm sure they'll die of shock when I'm ready for school early," she said.

"Who said I was waking you up princess?" he grinned.

"You know, I can still kick you out, alley cat," she grinned back.

"You wouldn't!" he declared dramatically, before glancing at her trap door. "Maybe we should sleep now."

"And we'll talk about this tomorrow?" she asked.

"Of course," he said, pushing her back slowly, resting his head beside hers. There was five minutes of silence before he spoke again, the girl beside him almost asleep. "But I just want to point out, you've spent a good amount of time trying to keep me out of your personal life, and you've had a crush on me the whole time!"

Lips dry, eyes heavy Marinette replied, "You don't know half of the story…"

He didn't. But he would learn with time. They both would.


	3. Consequences and Chat

Dirty tissues surrounded Marinette's beside table. Two glasses sat on her vanity, dregs of tea still there from last night. The last one she drank with Chat. Before Chat, she'd lacked anyone but Alya to talk to about her problems. Then she let him. He lit a spark in her that she never knew she had. Chat was so much more than what she experienced as Ladybug, words spoken so eloquently that made it impossible to ignore him. He was kind beyond measure and in light of this; she became curious to see what he was like when it was just him. Oftentimes she stayed up long after Chat had left; wondering what was going on in his mind. He kept coming back and she let him. Now he was gone.

He promised to leave her alone the first time, but he kept coming back. Marinette was just such an enigma in his eyes. The seemingly awkward girl from his class was so much more than he anticipated. And it enticed him. She talked to him as Chat, but not Adrien. And when he first visited her, the night of her birthday, two years after the Befana incident he'd noticed posters on her wall. Minimal, but all of him. He let that linger in his mind over the next few months of visiting. He assumed that she was looking at the clothes, but when he finally asked, cheeky smirk intact, it had been knocked off his face when she blushed.

 _"_ _Oooh, princess, do you like him?" he asked, curious for her answer. An adorable blush was all the answer he needed. "You do, huh?"_

 _A mumble and a shrug was returned. He slunk up to her, whispering in her ear, "I have prettier eyes."_

 _"_ _Liar." She scoffed and laughed at him, while he grinned._ If only she knew, he thought, if only she knew. But she wouldn't, and couldn't know, despite his ever strengthening feelings surrounding her. It was impossible. But not as Adrien. He knew what he must do, even if it meant backing off as Chat. And now as he sat on the rooftops across from her own, the night after letting it all go, having spent an excellent day with her as Adrien, he watched as she pulled another tissue from the box beside her.

She knew immediately that he was lying. Not only because his eye did a little twitch that she'd noticed over the time spent together, but because he used her alter ego as an excuse. ' _Ladybug thinks I need to spend less time interrupting your life as a civilian.'_ And she certainly hadn't told him to keep his distance from Marinette. She enjoyed his company. More than she'd ever admit to him, unless he came back. In which case she'd beg for him to stay desperately. A memory replayed in her head as she grabbed another tissue. It was not of any of the times he'd specifically visited her for the purpose of it. It was when she'd let him down as Ladybug, the night of the 'Glaciator' incident. She'd ruined her friends outing to see Andre the ice-cream man, feeling miserable that Adrien had not shown up when she stepped out onto her balcony. Chat had swung down moments later, voice soft as the wind as he asked if he could stay for a bit confessing he didn't 'have the heart' to be a superhero tonight. She smiled meekly, feeling quite the same way. Sweeping her off her feet, next thing she knew she was attending the secret rendezvous that Chat had set up for her as Ladybug. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, she liked to think, though now she felt sick to the core that he wasn't drinking tea with her tonight.

"I should have never let him get so close, Tikki," she whispered, voice faltering. "My subconscious knew how irresistible he was."

"Maybe you didn't let him get close enough," said the kwami, flying close and touching her cheek as a means of comfort. "Just talk to him, he didn't mean to break your heart, he's making room for Adrien."

Adrien, whom she'd spent a lovely day with and was now subsequently sobbing about being torn between him and, though she didn't know it, his alter ego. Done with the tissue in her hand, she pulled another one out of the box beside and got up slowly. The tears were slowing none, she was positive that if she pressed a hand to her cheek there would be a steady stream, but she got up to look in the mirror, surveying the damage. "I didn't push him away though Tikki, how can I talk to him? He was the one who was trying to accommodate for me…" sniffling she ran a hand through her hair, hair ties on both pigtails hanging limply at the very end of her hair.

"Maybe you could talk to him as Ladybug, that would also be a good way to call him out on lying to you, even if it was in your best interests," she said, brows furrowed. Marinette nodded slowly, walked into the bathroom, splashing her face with some cold water and transformed quickly. Chat hadn't been in the bathroom before, at least she didn't think so, and so she assumed the blank wall in room as her backdrop and called the mangy cat.

"Didn't think my phone would be going off at this time of night, my lady," he said as he picked up.

"Chat…"

"Ok what happened?" He already knew something was up.  
"I happen to know someone who isn't very happy with you at the moment," she began, letting him cut her off.

"I know, I had to do it though, I needed her to be happy." The words hit hard. She found it hard to breathe, and even harder not to cry, but held it in for the sake of sparing Chat's confusion.

"Why did you lie to her Chat? I visited her earlier and she said that you told her I wouldn't let you see her. Please talk to her, she's… distraught." Admitting it to herself was hard, but to Chat was harder. His glassy eyes were even more heartbreaking.

"I… I never meant to hurt her. And I never meant for you to get caught up in this, it my own fault, I couldn't keep away she's just… she's amazing Ladybug. I just thought she'd be happier with Adrien."

"Chat she's confused. You didn't give her anything other than 'Ladybug doesn't want me to see you', at least that's what she told me. You just need to talk to her, she… she misses you, ok?"

He looked surprised. Recovering quickly he said, "I'll talk to her now, I've been lurking on the rooftop across from hers since it went dark. I'm sorry for dragging you into this, but I've gotta fix it, night Bugaboo!" He'd been out the front. Watching her the whole time. Something in her wanted to push him away, but more than anything she was relieved. Relieved that he hadn't spent the night somewhere else, but stayed up watching, a way of making sure she was ok. Snapping herself out of this train of thought, she quickly de-transformed and skidded out of her bathroom. Pulling her pigtails out, she scurried up her bed and out of the hatch onto the balcony. Chat was already there, fiddling with the cuffs of his suit, trying to work out what he was going to say. Act surprised, Marinette thought.

"Chat?" she croaked, more wearily than surprised.

"Please don't throw me off the balcony, I'm here to apologise," he said, shying away from her.

"I wouldn't," she said. "I… I couldn't."

"I'm sorry," he began, taking her hand in his gently. "I didn't want to lie to you and I certainly didn't want to hurt your feelings. Mari, I thought that it would be easier for you if I kept out of your life, easier for you, easier for me, easier for Adrien. The problem is I have the same problem as him. We both can't see what is right in front of us until it's blindingly obvious and when it is, we fall. Hard."

"Sorry what?"

"I like you princess, but I know you like Adrien, and I know he likes you, so I wanted to keep my distance because I thought it would make you happier."  
"You don't get to decide what makes me happy Chat," she said roughly, tears threatening to spill. "You have no idea how happy you make me."

His mouthed opened slightly and he felt a lump in his throat. "And Adrien?"

"You both make me happy," she said. "But I can't let you cut myself out of my life. You don't have to come every night, if you still feel the need to make the sacrifice, but I need you to stay at least tonight. Please?"

Her pleading blue eyes killed him. He just wanted to hug her and say it was ok, that she would get her knight in shining armour, but that it just wouldn't be him, not as Chat. "Just tonight."

A hug so great was forced upon him, that he found it hard to breathe, let alone stay standing. Just tonight, he told himself, then it's up to Adrien. He hoisted her up, his arms around her waist as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Breathing deep, he found her smell intoxicating. No, Adrien, you can't kiss her better, not as Chat. A war similar to this waged inside Marinette's head, as she battled to keep from kissing him. He's here to say sorry, not kiss you senseless, she thought. Guiding them down the hatch and onto her bed, he carefully held onto her until she could lay down. Laying next to her he waited for her signature hand snaking over his waist, head resting just on his shoulder. When she was more comfortable she'd put her head on his chest, and her arm resting across his shoulder, fingers gently touching the nape of his neck. He'd thought last night would be the last time she'd do this. He was wrong. Instead of talking they lay until the arms of sleep came to pull them down, Marinette's eyes rather sticky and unable to open. Her mouth was dry and she knew if he spoke she would barely be able to reply. A tiny whisper came from his mouth.

"When would you like me to leave, princess?"

She didn't. And she intended on telling him that but instead she said sleepily, "How long will your kwami hold up?" He stiffened next to her, brows furrowed and blinking rapidly. Too late, she'd realised her own mistake. Withdrawing her hand as quickly as possible she shot up the other end of the bed, pulling her legs in to her chest.

"I…"

"I don't think you should know what a kwami is," he said, sitting up slowly. And just like that, as if a veil was lifted, magic words spoken, both superheroes were looking at the partner.

"Chat…" she said, voice almost panicky. "Chat, please."

"My lady," he said, carefully treading over the words. She flinched, but didn't moved. He moved a little closer.

"This is all my fault," she whispered, head ducking into her knees, tears still threatening to spill. "Chat I'm so sorry."

His breathing was shallow, and words caught in his throat. In all his bravado he'd managed to fall for the same girl twice. And Plagg! Plagg knew who she was, that she was sitting right behind him in class every day, fighting beside him and laying on his chest every night. A ridiculous smile spread across his lips, whilst she sat across from him, confused and a little worried about the growing smile. Oh he could just kiss her right now. Completely inappropriate as it was, the thought still ran rampant through his mind as he observed the glassy blue eyes, pink lips and red eyes. He almost slapped himself. Jesus, Adrien, she's crying her eyes out and all you want to do is kiss her. "I love you," he said, voice barely recognisable, the croaky sound new to Marinette.

"Chat, you… I, I…" now she was flustered. He held back a grin; she couldn't just discard his flirting as Marinette. "I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner."

"I think I've known for a while… deep down," he said. "If you get that?"

"Yeah," she muttered. "I do."

Taking her hand in his, he kissed each knuckle on her hand. "And I'm really mad my kwami didn't tell me who you were now. He's probably been laughing at me every time I go to transform every night."

"At least he listens to me," she said cheekily. A nervous face was thrown his way. "I need to know if I'm right, can you drop the transformation, please."

In the back of his head, he replied with 'of course', but instead he said, "I'd like to finally hold your hand without this stupid costume."

She blushed and locked her grip around his hand when a bright green light erupted from the disappearance of his suit. Eyes closed tight, hand gripped onto another, warmer and softer than hers, she took a deep breath.

His breath tickled her ear. "It's ok," he said, "It's just me."

A smell so familiar filled her senses and she opened her eyes, willing herself to be surprised. She wasn't disappointed when she wasn't surprised. It wasn't relief; it was more a sense of belonging. Safe, she thought, how could I not be safe with him? It was trust, and pent up emotions. His beautiful green eyes attacked her, the sincerity of his adoration making her heart beat change. There was no one like him. In one swift movement, a joint thought, both swept each other up, holding on tight as if it would dissipate if they let go. "I was right," she whispered.

"I know," he whispered back. He managed to pull back from the embrace, just to look in her eyes again. "God your eyes are so gorgeous."

"You make me sick," Plagg said, floating just above his head. "Took you long enough to figure it out."

"Go eat some cheese, you twit," Adrien replied, grinning dazedly.

"Are you Adrien's kwami?" Marinette said. There was a nod. "I'm Marinette, nice to meet you."

"I know who you are, you sit behind lover-boy in class, and he still couldn't figure you out," he cackled. "I'm Plagg, do you have camembert?"

Taken aback Marinette laughed. "Plagg! Be nice to her, not everyone will have camembert for you, idiot," Adrien said, giving Marinette an apologetic look, despite the fact he'd just suggested for his kwami to have cheese.

"We have camembert," came a sweeter voice, from somewhere near Marinette. Plagg looked startled and turned to see Tikki.

"Tikki…" he breathed. Adrien had never the Kwami so star struck.

"Plagg?" she called, barely believing it. Tikki had snuck up from a nap and heard the unmistakable voice of insolent kwami. He rushed over to her, displaying the greatest emotion Adrien had ever seen in him. Marinette sighed beside him. Tikki turned back to them. "I'm Marinette's kwami, Tikki, it's nice to meet you Adrien," she said, shaking his pointer finger.

"She's nicer than Plagg," he complained immediately.

"Camembert!" Plagg said, as if to prove Adrien's point.

"Are you sure you don't want cookies? Tikki has plenty of those," Marinette said.

"He doesn't eat them," Tikki said, "I tried convincing him, it didn't work."

"Oh well, we have plenty of camembert in the fridge, Tikki, take him down, and try not to make a mess, ok?" she replied.

Grinning, Plagg gave Marinette a kiss on the cheek, thanking her before whispering something in Adrien's ear. "Buzz off, Plagg," he said. "So…"

"So…" she replied. Memories with Chat replayed in her head with the newfound knowledge that Adrien was under the mask.

"I really didn't think you'd let me back in," he said. "I really screwed up, Mari, I'm so sorry."

"You said yourself; you and Chat have the same problem," she grinned, using her confidence. He screwed up his nose at this, and shook his head. "Perhaps, but I'm not the one who - ,"

his voice faltered. He was going to use the kiss as a comeback, but realised too late that he'd been so caught in trying to find a comeback that he hadn't thought about the kiss properly. "You kissed me!"

"I already told you that I was saving your butt!" she said, louder than anticipated. Startled, she hoped her parents did not see fit to enter her room. Her wide eyes were lit up by the flash of moonlight coming through her hatch to the roof, and Adrien once again felt compelled to kiss her. He grabbed her hand gently and pulled her closer to him.

"Bugaboo," he breathed, trying to regain his train of thought from before the desire to kiss her overcame him. Maybe she didn't want to kiss him. Maybe she didn't even want him to stay the night anymore. He decided that was the next best question until he saw her looking at him, lips parted ever so slightly, face expectant. She snuck her fingers under the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer, pressing her palm up against his firm chest. Her heart beat faster and she knew this was her moment. She wasn't stupid, Adrien was putty in her hands as Chat, when he was all bravado and puns, as Adrien she wasn't quite sure what he'd do. Nevertheless she tickled her fingers up his neck and weaved them into his hair while his hand came to rest on her cheek, guiding her lips to his. By god it was familiar. She felt that, but she didn't know whether he felt the same. His lips were soft, gentle against hers, moving slowly. She knew what he was doing. He was making sure she was comfortable, that this was what she wanted. He felt dizzy being at her touch, her fingers in his hair driving him crazy. This… this was what love felt like, he thought to himself, free hand touching lightly on her waist. When they had both run out of air, he pulled away, resting his forehead on her own, eyes closed and smiling like a fool.

"I've waited for you," he said softly. "And if you're not ready, I'll keep waiting, I'll take it as slow as you want, I… I'm not letting you slip through my fingers."

"I waited for you, too," she whispered, blinking, "I waited for all of you. Adrien, I can't promise I'll be any good at this, but I'm not willing to waste another few years, especially now that we know."

"Am I still allowed to stay the night, or is that over-stepping, then?" he said.

"I told you I wanted you to stay didn't I?"

He smiled. "Alright then, you'd better go to sleep, you have a date with Adrien tomorrow, don't you?"

"I thought we were just hanging out," she said, look up at him curiously.

"I said date," he said, holding the eye contact, face unwaveringly smiling.

"Ok," she said. "Goodnight."

"Have a nice date tomorrow ok?"

"Oh I will."

* * *

~ _loving you had consequences._

Loosely based off of Consequences by Camila Cabello. I do not own the song, nor do I own Miraculous Ladybug (I wish) Feel free to review, I've loved reading the preexisting reviews for the previous chapters, thank you to everyone for making me feel so good about my writing xxx.


End file.
